DURHAM, N.C. – The sixth-ranked Duke women’s tennis team dropped its first Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) match of the season Saturday, falling to No. 27 Georgia Tech, 4-0.The Blue Devils were limited to just five players in the match for the second time this season, and now drop to 13-4 overall and 4-1 in ACC play.

“Obviously not a great day for us today, but I thought we competed really well,” said head coach Jamie Ashworth. “I thought we fought back, and I just told them in the locker room, that’s what we’re going to have to do for the last three weeks of the regular season and as we move into the NCAA Tournament. But that’s what we’ll do. We will fight and compete and make people around our program proud to be a part of our program.”

In doubles action, the Blue Devils were forced to forfeit the third doubles position, but still managed to push Georiga Tech into a doubles point deciding tiebreaker on court one after the tandem on junior Marianne Jodoin and sophomore Annie Mulholland topped Elizabeth Kilborn and Muriel Wacker, 8-6,in the second position. In the match, Jodoin and Mulholland fell behind 0-5 to Kilborn and Wacker, but rallied by winning six consecutive games to take the match and send all eyes to court one.

In the top spot, the duo of senior Mary Clayton and junior Hanna Mar took an early 5-3 lead over the No. 67 tandem of Megan Kurey and Kendal Woodard, but dropped serve, leveling the match at 5-5. The two teams traded games before Georgia Tech took an 8-7 advantage. Mar and Clayton evened up the match at 8-8 after Mar held serve, but were unable to slow the Georgia Tech duo in the tiebreaker, eventually falling, 9-8 (7-3).

Georgia Tech held a 2-0 lead over Duke when singles action began, as the Blue Devils were unable to compete on court six. In the fifth position, senior Nicole Lipp was unable to slow Wacker, falling, 6-1, 6-0. On court two, No. 99 Clayton quickly fell behind 0-4 to Woodard, but rallied by breaking serve to bring the match to 3-5. Despite the comeback, Clayton dropped a hard fought match to Woodard, 6-3, 6-2.

In the top spot, 19th-ranked Mar jumped out to a 4-1 lead against No. 89 Kilborn, and continued her solid play with a perfectly placed serve to take the set, 6-1. Mar held a 6-1, 1-1 lead when the match was decided. Jodoin, tabbed at No. 94 in the latest ITA poll, Quebec, led Natasha Prokhnevska on court three, 7-5, 1-0, while Mulholland trailed Kurey, 4-6, 1-3, on court four when the match was clinched.

The Blue Devils return to the courts Sunday as they take on No. 16 Clemson at Ambler Tennis Stadium at 12 p.m. Prior to the match, Duke will honor seniors Mary Clayton and Nicole Lipp for their contributions to the Duke tennis program.